The world of Steven Spielberg's "A.I." - where flesh-and-blood humans live amid lifelike mechanical people - is still pure fantasy.
But scientists studying artificial intelligence say smart robots are already learning like children, and it won't be long before machines think, feel and even excel in the arts.

"In 30 years, machines will not only be able to speak like humans but they will exceed humans in areas like poetry, music and philosophy," said Jack Dunietz, who's leading one of the world's foremost A.I. projects.

Dunietz's Israel-based company - Artificial Intelligence, NV - is now developing a child-like device they call Hal, after the malevolent machine in Stanley Kubrik's "2001: A Space Odyssey." They claim it can learn like a child and has the vocabulary of a toddler.